This invention relates to a decking system for concrete construction and, more particularly, to a portable decking system which facilitates the construction of modular building units having a monolithic slab roof.
For economic purposes, in both operation and initial construction, many building units, such as office buildings, motels or hotels, are constructed today on a modular plan wherein each of the various units, whether a single room or a suite, are all substantially identical. Further, they are preferably constructed of reinforced concrete, a material which is durable, provides useful insulation as to sound and heat and is inexpensive, both for the material itself and, potentially at least, in the method of construction. To further decrease the cost of construction with concrete, it is preferred to form the vertical walls defining the individual residential modules and then to pour a monolithic massive concrete ceiling extending over a series of such modules, or bays, defined by the vertical walls. The vertical walls serve to support the massive concrete ceiling. The ceiling can be the top roof of the structure or can be an intermediate horizontal level defining the ceiling of a lower level and the floor of a higher level.
Present conventional practice is to form the vertical walls defining the modules or bays and then to construct scaffolding and to place on that scaffolding generally flat mold surfaces which form the ceiling of the bay, and, if a multi-story structure is being formed, the floor of the next higher level. Such scaffoldings and mold surfaces are normally made of wood. Owing to the relatively high labor cost today and the expense and scarcity of wood, such conventional scaffolding and mold surfaces represent a major expense in concrete construction today, particularly due to the short life of wood construction, in both labor and material costs.
There have been attempts to provide support structures for the pouring of the concrete ceiling/floor which are of a more or less portable nature and which can be utilized to form such a massive roof. For example, Stout, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,838, shows a structure and method for pouring in place a unitary concrete roof. The temporary casting support is level and flat, but requires dismantling after each use before the support structure can be moved to another site. Similarly, Varlonga, U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,232, describes the formation of suspended concrete floors wherein the main support beams for the temporary support structure are also utilized as the permanent support structure for the concrete flooring. Such means also requires dismantling after each use. Also, see Sullivan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,479, and Comment, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,296, for further examples of prefabricated concrete pouring forms. Further, see Jennings, U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,266.
The use of portable forms which are constructed once and then can be moved from place to place, usually on a supporting wheel carriage, have also been suggested for use in construction. These have generally not found success in the industry for various reasons, for example, their bulkiness, weight, great expense, or other design failures to provide for all of the requirements to be met in the construction of particular buildings. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,037,259 and 2,966,718, both to Dave, describe various types of decking forms for the pouring of a monolithic concrete ceiling which is supported by a plurality of columns regularly spaced beneath the flooring. The forms used by Dave preferably are plywood and are supported upon a wheeled vehicle. Dave further requires the use of intermediate removable elements between adjoining plywood forms in order to form a continuous support structure. Also, see Kohlhaas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,377,944. Another concrete pouring form for forming a modular concrete ceiling, level or arched, which can be carried and moved about on a carriage, but which must be detached from the carriage when in use, is shown by Metrailer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,945.
A completely portable unit on a wheeled carriage has been described as being useful for forming a continuous intermediate floor or uppermost ceiling in a structure having a modular design with intermediate vertical walls for supporting the ceiling, as shown by Haws, U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,977. The Haws device is also useful for forming vertical walls. There is no provision for the utilization of two adjoining units by Haws for forming a continuous ceiling over a series of modular units, nor is there provision for forming a ceiling which extends beyond the vertical supporting walls. The mold surfaces of Haws further are extremely heavy, thick structures, which are rigid and intended to support the entire weight of the concrete being poured.
A variety of units for forming massive hyperbolic or parabolic ceiling constructions are shown, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,620 to Short, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,646 to Wilkins.
The construction industry, however, remains in need of a successful means for quickly and efficiently pouring a massive monolithic concrete roof, or suspended floor, for a modular type of building, where the support structure for the mold is relatively lightweight, can be quickly and easily transported into position and then readily moved, once the concrete structure has set, to the next position, and can be reused almost indefinitely. Such a structure, in addition to being quickly transportable, must provide the necessary support to form a flat and level structure and must provide the necessary continuity to form the monolithic roof, when a plurality of different units are utilized to form a massive unitary roof for a large number of modules simultaneously.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a portable, lightweight decking system providing a continuous surface for the support of a monolithic slab of poured concrete during setting thereof, designed and adapted for use in conjunction with a plurality of other like units for the formation of a monolithic roof structure for a plurality of modular building units separated by vertical support walls or the like.